James 2: 10 Whoever breaks one
commandment is guilty of breaking them all. 11 For the same one who said,
“Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not commit murder.” Even if you do not
commit adultery, you have become a lawbreaker if you commit murder. 12 Speak and act as people who
will be judged by the law that sets us free. 13 For God will not show mercy
when he judges the person who has not been merciful; but mercy triumphs over
judgment.
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Hearing what someone
else did made me feel pretty good about myself. “I don’t drink and I don’t do
drugs and I don’t kill people” were my measures of success. But on my way to
work I cut people off in traffic, was short with people at work and joined in
on the jokes about body parts.
- I tried to justify my sin by comparing what I did to other people.
- I came up with my own conclusion that I was “better” than most people, so I deserved better treatment from GOD.
- I also factored in that I had stopped doing certain sins so GOD should treat me better than those who are still stuck in the stuff “I” used to do.
James addressed the
sin of comparison. He mentions adultery and murder as two extreme sins to
compare. People may have justified adultery, comparing it to murder, thinking
it wasn’t as bad as murder. He then gives the right heart each person should
have, namely be merciful.
My Observations:
- My insecurities make me compare myself to other people so I can feel good about myself.
- Overlooking my own guilt makes me judge other people.
- GOD sets me free from sin through JESUS and wants me to be merciful versus judgmental.
Breaking a single
Law makes me guilty of breaking the whole Law of GOD. While this seems
extremely harsh, it shows me GOD’s standard which is without sin and full of
pure love. HE saw that I would struggle with sin because I was born with a tendency
to sin. I could never be “good” enough to meet HIS standard of being sinless,
so JESUS made a way to remove my guilt.
HE not only save me,
but wants others saved as well. HE knows the sins of “that” person and forgives
him or her, just like HE forgave me. HE wants me to look at my own sins and to
not use comparison to justify being judgey. I am glad JESUS makes me triumphant
when I show mercy, even in its tiniest degree.
Challenge
- What does the writer say about being guilty?
- Have you ever tried to compare your sin to other people?
- Have you ever talked bad about other people?
- Will you seek mercy by asking GOD to clean your heart so you can be more and more merciful towards all people today?
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